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Walters' passing a loss to Bath County
BY MARGO OXENDINE • CONTRIBUTING WRITER
 | | This photo of the Bath County Board of Supervisors was taken in the 1970s. Pictured are Claude Dodson, clerk of the court; Clarence McMullen, Valley Springs district; Stuart Hall, Williamsville district; Ed Walters, Millboro district; Tommy May, Cedar Creek district; Roy Cleek, Warm Springs district; standing, Sheriff Frank Pritt. (Photo courtesy Bath County Historical Society) |
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MILLBORO - His well-written obituary tells us, "Edward T. Walters, public servant, cattleman, and ardent conservationist, died on July 10, 2007. He was 78 years old."
Ed Walters was ageless. A renaissance man. The consummate gentleman and diplomat.
And Ed was always busy, busy, busy.
Perhaps most notably, he founded the Cowpasture River Preservation Association, and fought tirelessly, despite illness, to keep the waters pristine.
Jean Howell, who served on the CRPA with Walters, noted this week, "I loved Ed and his wife, Rita, and spent many happy times with both of them. But what I remember Ed most for is the Tier 3 fight."
A few years ago, the CRPA mounted a valiant, but failed, attempt to have the State Water Control Board bestowe Tier 3 status on the river. Once a river is classified Tier 3, no additional point-source deposits are allowed. Tier 3 water is defined as offering an exceptional environmental setting, plus an exceptional aquatic community, for exceptional recreational opportunities.
That's a lot of "exceptionals." And Walters, Howell says, put up an exceptional fight to have the Cowpasture receive this status.
"He delivered an unfailing, measured response, during a difficult period," she recalls. "Just before the accident, we had a Tier 3 meeting at Millboro Elementary. Ed was suffering from Parkinson's disease, yet he still spoke forcefully, accurately and persuasively about the importance of Tier 3, and always was a gentleman."
After a pause, Howell added, "Ed was also a terrific dancer."
In January 2004, Ed and Rita, his wife of 53 years, suffered a horrific automobile accident. Rita did not survive. Ed was hospitalized, and indeed, never went home again.
"Home" to Ed and Rita Walters was a sprawling farm on the Cowpasture. They moved to the place permanently in 1970. Ed enjoyed the life of a hard-working gentleman farmer. He and Rita, an expert on field mushrooms, were known for their many good deeds and community service.
Service, in fact, was always a part of Ed Walters' life.
After a stint as a U.S. Marine during the Korean War, he put his master's degree from Georgetown University to work by joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1957.
Ed and Rita spent at least a decade gallavanting around South America, serving in Rio de Janeiro and Recife, Brazil, in Kingston, Jamaica, and Caracas, Venezuela. He received a Distinguished Service Award for his work in Brazil.
When he was a director of the Bath County Historical Society, Ed donated two bulletproof vests to the society's auction. "I guess I don't need these anymore," he said with a grin.
Walters' final assignment in service to his nation was as Chief of the Presidential Appointments Staff in Washington. He'd earned his retirement.
But, Ed Walters was not a man to languish in retirement.
He served on the Bath County Board of Supervisors, by appointment and election, starting in 1975. His service on the board coincided with two of the most important changes in Bath County history - The building of the Dominion hydroelectric facility, and the Gathright Dam/Lake Moomaw project.
Harper Wagner and Ed Walters were no strangers. Indeed, they were at times political opponents.
Wagner, who, like Walters, represented the Millboro District for many years, had this to say Tuesday: "I got along real well with Ed and his wife, Rita, although I didn't get to see them all that often. I think when he was a supervisor, he looked at the county as a whole, and tried to do the best he could. Ed Walters was an educated and wellrespected fellow; his loss is a loss to the whole community."
Ed Walters' friends were legion throughout the world. But it is perhaps his friends in Bath County who will miss him most.
Ann McCaig of Williamsville had a close friendship that spanned decades. "I think Ed was probably the best man I ever knew," she said this week. "What I found myself doing in my friendship with Ed was that whenever I found myself with a question about the right thing to do, in an ethical or moral sense, Ed was always the person I went to."
Kent and Ellen Ford of Millboro also spent decades socializing and traveling with Ed and Rita Walters. The couples had a mutual love for the music of the Garth Newel Chamber Players, and spent many happy weeks on overseas music holidays.
Ellen Ford declares, "The cherries from Ed's tree produced the finest fruit pie I ever ate."
She recalls, "Ed, with his wife, Rita, worked to support the Bath County community on both the practical and academic aspects of education and environmental outreach. Ed brought his experience as a quiet diplomat and an administrator with him when he moved to the Cowpasture River Farm. He was particularly skilled in framing issues and values in a way that united many people who loved and valued the resources of this region, whether they had been born in the area or had come later in their lives."
Those who pay attention to such things also recognized Ed Walters as a very talented writer. A frequently-published freelance journalist, Walters was a member of the National Press Club. His works regularly appeared in The Roanoke Times, the Foreign Service Journal, and The Recorder. Former Recorder publisher Lea Campbell was saddened to learn of Ed Walters' passing.
"Ed was one of the most intelligent, decent, honorable men I have ever known," Campbell said last week. "He bore the tragic loss of his wife, his injuries, and illness with extraordinary grace. His passion for the Cowpasture and for Bath County were an inspiration for me. While many natives considered him an elitist, he surely was not."
Friends from across Bath and beyond will bid goodbye to Ed Walters during a commemorative reception Monday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. at Garth Newel.
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